Officials piecing together death of Shelby Township boy who died of heat stroke

The tragic death of 2-year-old James Nelson, who died of heat stroke after being strapped into his car seat Tuesday morning, has Shelby Township detectives working around the clock.

Police Chief Roland Woelkers stressed his detectives are working hard to get to the bottom of the death that has saddened family, friends and the people who live in the Dequindre Estates Mobile Home Park on the southeast corner of Hamlin and Dequindre roads.

"Detectives are interviewing and reinterviewing people connected to the investigation," Woelkers said on Thursday. "This is a very tragic incident, and I have six or seven detectives looking at every aspect in it."

Woelkers said police are at a very sensitive point in the investigation.

James was found at 6 p.m. Tuesday in his mother's Dodge Caravan, which was parked in front of the mobile home where he lived with his mother, Audrionna Rhoades, 21, and her boyfriend. Woelkers said police believe Rhoades left home at 8:30 a.m. for her medical supply job in Troy.

Woelkers said no one is saying who dressed the little boy and buckled him into the car seat. James sat in the vehicle for a long time, police said. Temperatures reached 75 degrees outside according to the National Weather Service in White Lake Township. Woelkers said police believe the temperatures was 130 degrees in the van, which had all of its windows closed.

"There is no telling when the child died," Woelkers said. "Everyone is different, but, unless the van was in the shade, there wasn't anything to prevent the hot sun from causing miserable conditions inside the van."

Woelkers said James' body temperature when he was taken to the hospital was 108 degrees. Woelkers said James was strapped in and was unsure if the child could have freed himself. National records show that 36 children died this year from being left behind in a hot vehicle.

Neighbors said the little boy must have suffered immensely. There was no way witnesses could tell if the boy struggled to get out of the car seat or if he just passed out.

Woelkers said when the child was found, he was pulled out of the van and a neighbor immediately began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was pronounced dead at Troy Beaumont Hospital on Dequindre Road.

Rich Wojtalik, who lives down the street from the Nelson mobile home, said he often saw James playing.

He didn't know the boy or his family but said he feels sorrow for everyone involved.

"You have to know where your children are every second of the day," Wojtalik said.

"Neglecting a 2-year-old child is unacceptable and someone has to pay for this little guy's death. Woelkers said the child's mother is distraught. Audrionna's father, Johnny Rhoades, said his daughter wouldn't have left her son in the car unattended.

? ? Johnny Rhoades' cousin, Louie Sardi of Macomb Township, said he wants to know what happened. He said whoever was in charge of the child should be charged with a serious crime and do a long stretch in jail.

"My cousin absolutely loved that kid," Sardi said. "He moved only a few trailers from Audrionna recently so he could be close to James."

Neighbors said they occasionally saw police at Audrionna's mobile home in recent weeks.

One neighbor said she heard loud arguing coming from the home after midnight on Saturday.

Woelkers said Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith will determine if James' death was an accident or any of four degrees of child neglect, manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter or negligent homicide. Woelkers said he hopes the case will be wrapped up by the end of this week.

Anyone with information about the incident involving James' death is asked to call Shelby Township police at 586-731-2121. ?